The Wall Between Us

Chapter 6: Friendly advice(Wayne)

Today he woke up feeling like his usual self. It's been a couple of days since he and Ethan made up after they spent the night drinking away at Brad's restaurant. Ethan poured out his heart and confessed that he knew how much of a hard worker he was and how he never meant to hurt him.

Wayne never doubted it. They promised each other to talk things out professionally next time.

He was leaning against the office counter sharing a coffee with Ethan when a knock came at the door.

"I'll get it!" Ethan said, setting his cup down and walking over to the door.

"Oh! Ford? Howdy." Ethan moved aside to let him in.

The doctor murmured a quick hello, then joined Wayne at the office counter.

"What are you doing here?" Wayne asked, despite knowing it was the doctor's day off.

Ford shrugged his shoulders. "I thought I'd stop by and I brought company, the good kind." He glanced toward the door, then sighed. "Where is he?"

As if on cue Ludus appeared at the entrance, stepping into the post office with a wide grin on his face.

"Hey, buddy," Wayne laughed, enveloping him in a hug. "Good to see you."

"You too," Ludus replied stepping back, before leaning his elbow on Wayne's shoulder.

"You know what today is, don't you?" He asked, grinning from ear to ear.

"No, what?!"

"Really, you can't be serious?!"

"I'm confused?"

Ludus removes his arm and slaps his back, hard enough for it to sting.

"It's guys' day. Unfortunately, it's just us. Hinata and Yuzuki bailed because they were occupied today." Ludus explained.

Guys' day? He chuckled to himself, only Ludus could make a big deal out of it.

"I need the break, all the medical paperwork this week has stressed me out," Ford frowned, massaging his temples.

He could tell the doctor had been worn through. No one is a more experienced person in the medical field than Ford. He often had his work cut out for him.

"See you later!" Wayne said on his way out.

"Have fun," Ethan called after him.

They headed out. Garden Grill had yet to open, although they wanted to go to a different restaurant this time. He remembered rarely visiting other towns' restaurants. Expect stopping often at Carosello on his breaks.

Today they'd eat there. He didn't know why Ludus came all this way instead of meeting up there, but he cared not.

On the long ride to Lulukoko, Ludus shared how a customer had tried to bargain his way out of payment and ended up cheating him of the full amount.

Ford ticked his tongue, barely hiding his annoyance. "You should've banned him from coming to your shop. That kind of behavior is unacceptable."

Ludus scratched his head, looking embarrassed. "Well, yeah. But I just let him off, because he promised to pay more in the future."

"Your kidding right?" Ford said staring him down, his voice tight. "There's no way he's going to hold his end of the bargain."

The blue-haired handyman flashed a nervous smile, yet remained silent.

"Am I the only one in this friend group who has common sense?" He grumbled, shaking his head.

"No!" Wayne answered quickly. "But, there's nothing wrong with a little kindness, right?"

"..."

Ford closed his eyes and said no more.

...

The twins welcomed them to the restaurant. They grabbed a table closest to the back and Siluka came over to take their orders.

"What can I get you, guys?" She asks sweetly.

Ford answers first, almost too fast. "My usual, please."

Siluka nodded. "Right. Tropical salad and orange juice." She writes his order on the pad.

"Don't you usually get a fritter salad on Sundays?" Wayne questioned, wondering why he changed it up.

"Yes, I do." He replied, glancing away.

After they tell her the rest of the orders, she left their table and walks back to the counter.

"Okay..." Wayne dragged out, sharing a look with Ludus.

It's a rare occurrence for the doctor to be coy unless he was receiving a compliment. However, that wasn't the case this time.

No way! He glanced towards Siluka and then back to his friend, who refused to meet their gaze. A question formed in the back of his mind. He opened his mouth to speak but before he could ask, Ludus gasped aloud.

"You like her?!"

All eyes fell on their table. In a split second Ford reached across the table and covered his mouth with a gloved hand.

"Q-q-quiet!!" He stuttered, his eyes widening as big as saucers.

People laughed around the restaurant, and Ford's cheeks turned pink. He pulled his hand back, taking a deep breath, trying to keep himself calm.-

"That's not it!"

His blushing face told them otherwise.

Siluka soon returned carrying a platter with their food. "Here you go, enjoy." She smiled at the hopeless bachelor and he caved, his face as red as a tomato.

So, it's true?! Wayne thought amused at his friend's reaction.

"W-what about you, Wayne? I heard you bumped into Scarlett a few days ago at Lisette's flower shop?" Ford suddenly asked, taking him by surprise.

"Me?!" Was he trying to change the subject?

Either way, Ludus seemed to go along with it. He chomped down on his food, listening as Ford continued. "Well, what happened?"

"...oh, um." He began, taking a nervous slip of his drink. "I went to ask Lisette for advice for a gift to give to Noel..." He trailed off awkwardly.

"And?" Ludus egged him on.

Wayne gulped. "And nothing, we didn't exactly talk that long." He dropped his head not wanting to be reminded about the whole incident.

"Okay, man." Ludus sighed. "That only means you two haven't made up yet?"

"I always wondered why she seemed so down when she visited my shop, now I know." He finished.

They ate in silence for a while until he spoke up, eager to clear the dampened mood.

"It's not that I don't want to." He began, thinking carefully of his next words. "I do, terribly so, but I get all nervous whenever we bump into each other."

"I forget what am supposed to say." He added at last.

When he returned home that evening, all he could think about was her. How he wished they'd become friends again. If these feelings disappeared then maybe?

Wayne paused at the window, taking in the purplish-pink sky. The night wasn't too far away. A couple of stars had already begun to appear as the sun dipped behind the horizon.

Did he really...want that? Would it make her life easier?